Leviticus 19:18

19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge ¹  against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. ²  I am the Lord.

Psalms 7:4

7:4 or have wronged my ally, ³ 

or helped his lawless enemy, ⁴ 

Psalms 35:14

35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. ⁵ 

I bowed down ⁶  in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. ⁷ 

Proverbs 24:11-12

24:11 Deliver those being taken away to death,

and hold back those slipping to the slaughter. ⁸ 

24:12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”

does not the one who evaluates ⁹  hearts consider?

Does not the one who guards your life know?

Will he not repay each person according to his deeds? ¹⁰ 

Matthew 5:44

5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and ¹¹  pray for those who persecute you,

Luke 6:27-28

6:27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, ¹²  do good to those who hate you, 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat ¹³  you.

Luke 10:32-37

10:32 So too a Levite, when he came up to ¹⁴  the place and saw him, ¹⁵  passed by on the other side. 10:33 But ¹⁶  a Samaritan ¹⁷  who was traveling ¹⁸  came to where the injured man ¹⁹  was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him. ²⁰  10:34 He ²¹  went up to him ²²  and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil ²³  and wine on them. Then ²⁴  he put him on ²⁵  his own animal, ²⁶  brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 10:35 The ²⁷  next day he took out two silver coins ²⁸  and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’ ²⁹  10:36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor ³⁰  to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 10:37 The expert in religious law ³¹  said, “The one who showed mercy ³²  to him.” So ³³  Jesus said to him, “Go and do ³⁴  the same.”

Luke 22:51

22:51 But Jesus said, ³⁵  “Enough of this!” And he touched the man’s ³⁶  ear and healed ³⁷  him.

Luke 23:34

23:34 [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”] ³⁸  Then ³⁹  they threw dice ⁴⁰  to divide his clothes. ⁴¹ 

Luke 23:1

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

23:1 Then ⁴²  the whole group of them rose up and brought Jesus ⁴³  before Pilate. ⁴⁴ 

Luke 5:15

5:15 But the news about him spread even more, ⁴⁵  and large crowds were gathering together to hear him ⁴⁶  and to be healed of their illnesses.

[19:18]  ¹ tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).

[19:18]  ² sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).

[7:4]  ³ tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.

[7:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.

[35:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”

[35:14]  ⁶ sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.

[35:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”

[24:11]  ⁸ tn The idea of “slipping” (participle from מוֹט, mot) has troubled some commentators. G. R. Driver emends it to read “at the point of” (“Problems in Proverbs,” ZAW 50 [1932]: 146). But the MT as it stands makes good sense. The reference would be general, viz., to help any who are in mortal danger or who might be tottering on the edge of such disaster – whether through sin, or through disease, war, or danger. Several English versions (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this term as “staggering.”

[24:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV) meaning “tests” or “evaluates.”

[24:12]  ¹⁰ sn The verse completes the saying by affirming that people will be judged responsible for helping those in mortal danger. The verse uses a series of rhetorical questions to affirm that God knows our hearts and we cannot plead ignorance.

[5:44]  ¹¹ tc Most mss ([D] L [W] Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat) read “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you,” before “those who persecute you.” But this is surely a motivated reading, importing the longer form of this aphorism from Luke 6:27-28. The shorter text is found in א B ˹ pc sa, as well as several fathers and versional witnesses.

[6:27]  ¹² sn Love your enemies is the first of four short exhortations that call for an unusual response to those who are persecuting disciples. Disciples are to relate to hostility in a completely unprecedented manner.

[6:28]  ¹³ tn The substantival participle ἐπηρεαζόντων (ephreazontwn), sometimes translated “those who abuse” (NRSV), is better rendered “those who mistreat,” a more general term (see L&N 88.129).

[10:32]  ¹⁴ tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”

[10:32]  ¹⁵ tn The clause containing the aorist active participle ἐλθών (elqwn) suggests that the Levite came up to the place, took a look, and then moved on.

[10:33]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the previous characters (considered by society to be examples of piety and religious duty) and a hated Samaritan.

[10:33]  ¹⁷ tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[10:33]  ¹⁸ tn The participle ὁδεύων (Jodeuwn) has been translated as an adjectival participle (cf. NAB, NASB, TEV); it could also be taken temporally (“while he was traveling,” cf. NRSV, NIV).

[10:33]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:33]  ²⁰ tn “Him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The verb means “to feel compassion for,” and the object of the compassion is understood.

[10:34]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:34]  ²² tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. The participle προσελθών (proselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:34]  ²³ sn The ancient practice of pouring oil was designed to comfort and clean the wounds (Isa 1:6).

[10:34]  ²⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:34]  ²⁵ tn It is not clear whether the causative nuance of the verb included actual assistance or not (“helped him on” versus “had him get on”; see L&N 15.98), but in light of the severity of the man’s condition as described in the preceding verses, some degree of assistance was almost certainly needed.

[10:34]  ²⁶ sn His own animal refers to a riding animal, presumably a donkey, but not specified.

[10:35]  ²⁷ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:35]  ²⁸ tn Grk “two denarii.”

[10:35]  ²⁹ tn Grk “when I come back”; the words “this way” are part of an English idiom used to translate the phrase.

[10:36]  ³⁰ sn Jesus reversed the question the expert in religious law asked in v. 29 to one of becoming a neighbor by loving. “Do not think about who they are, but who you are,” was his reply.

[10:37]  ³¹ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:37]  ³² sn The neighbor did not do what was required (that is why his response is called mercy) but had compassion and out of kindness went the extra step that shows love. See Mic 6:8. Note how the expert in religious law could not bring himself to admit that the example was a Samaritan, someone who would have been seen as a racial half-breed and one not worthy of respect. So Jesus makes a second point that neighbors may appear in surprising places.

[10:37]  ³³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary.

[10:37]  ³⁴ tn This recalls the verb of the earlier reply in v. 28.

[22:51]  ³⁵ tn Grk “But answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[22:51]  ³⁶ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the slave of the high priest mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:51]  ³⁷ sn When Jesus healed the man’s ear he showed grace even to those who hated him, following his own teaching (Luke 6:27-36).

[23:34]  ³⁸ tc Many important mss (Ì⁷⁵ א¹ B D* W Θ 070 579 1241 pc sy^s sa) lack v. 34a. It is included in א*^,2 (A) C D² L Ψ 0250 Ë^1,(13) 33 Ï lat sy^c,p,h. It also fits a major Lukan theme of forgiving the enemies (6:27-36), and it has a parallel in Stephen’s response in Acts 7:60. The lack of parallels in the other Gospels argues also for inclusion here. On the other hand, the fact of the parallel in Acts 7:60 may well have prompted early scribes to insert the saying in Luke’s Gospel alone. Further, there is the great difficulty of explaining why early and diverse witnesses lack the saying. A decision is difficult, but even those who regard the verse as inauthentic literarily often consider it to be authentic historically. For this reason it has been placed in single brackets in the translation.

[23:34]  ³⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:34]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “cast lots” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent “threw dice” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

[23:34]  ⁴¹ sn An allusion to Ps 22:18, which identifies Jesus as the suffering innocent one.

[23:1]  ⁴² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:1]  ⁴⁴ sn Pilate was the Roman prefect (procurator) in charge of collecting taxes and keeping the peace. His immediate superior was the Roman governor (proconsul) of Syria, although the exact nature of this administrative relationship is unknown. Pilate’s relations with the Jews had been rocky (v. 12). Here he is especially sensitive to them.

[5:15]  ⁴⁵ sn That is, in spite of Jesus’ instructions to the man to tell no one about the healing (v. 14).

[5:15]  ⁴⁶ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.